Artificial, decorative trees, such as Christmas trees, generally require some assembly by a user. One common type of artificial tree includes a base and one to four tree sections that are joined together at the trunk. An end of the trunk portion of the first tree section is firstly inserted into the tree base. The user then inserts an end of the trunk portion of the second tree section into the other end of the trunk portion of the first tree section, and so on, until all tree sections are stacked atop one another and the tree is completely assembled.
Avoiding rotation, or twisting of the assembled tree sections can be desirable from an aesthetic standpoint. For example, after a tree is decorated with ornaments and light strings, and perhaps with one side facing a wall, a user would prefer that the tree sections not be rotated about one another so as to preserve the appearance of the decorated, perhaps lighted, tree.
In addition to maintaining aesthetic appearances, for pre-lit artificial trees having light strings already attached to the tree sections, and especially for those having wiring extending externally between trunk sections, it can be particularly useful to avoid rotation of the tree sections about one another. For some designs, if a tree section rotates or twists relative to another, light string wiring can be damaged.
Known solutions for preventing rotation of individual tree sections at the trunk ends range from a simple solution such as ensuring a tight interference fit between trunk ends to using mechanical couplers between tree sections. However, some such designs can be ineffective, or difficult to implement with lighted, artificial trees employing wiring within the individual trunk sections.
While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended